Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (Jun 2014)
Slow gait speed – an indicator of lower cerebral vasoreactivity in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Abstract
Objective: Gait speed is an important predictor of health that is negatively affected by aging and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes has been linked to reduced vasoreactivity, i.e. the capacity to regulate cerebral blood flow in response to CO2 challenges. This study aimed to determine the relationship between cerebral vasoreactivity and gait speed in older adults with and without diabetes. Research design and methods: We studied 61 adults with diabetes (65±8yrs) and 67 without diabetes (67±9yrs) but with similar distribution of cardiovascular risk factors. Preferred gait speed was calculated from a 75m walk. Global and regional perfusion, vasoreactivity and vasodilation reserve were measured using 3-D Continuous Arterial Spin Labeling MRI at 3 Tesla during normo-, hyper- and hypocapnia and normalized for end-tidal CO2. Results: Diabetic participants had slower gait speed as compared to non-diabetic participants (1.05±0.15m/s vs. 1.14±0.14m/s, pConclusions: In the diabetic group, those with lower global vasoreactivity was associated with slower walking speed. Slower walking in older diabetic adults may hallmark reduced vasomotor reserve and thus the inability to increase perfusion in response to greater metabolic demands during walking.
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